Dragonsinger
by UNCHAINED BEAST
Summary: Itachi is under orders to capture a dragoness under the disguise as a human songstress. But the Akatsuki might be biting off more than they can chew! Can Itachi handle this 'squire of fire' before disaster is assured?
1. Captured

HOWDY YA'LL! This is my first stab at a Naruto fanfiction. I just kept thinking about this plotline and it wouldn't go away! So here it is the first chapter of Love of a Dragon.

Sasuke- This is gonna be interesting…

UB- Aww…shaddup Uchiha.

Sasuke- Whose gonna make me?

UB-(rolls eyes) You are in MY house, in MY room as MY muses! Therefore, I make the rules!

Itachi-…….why me?

UB- (points at Itachi) Older Uchiha! I don't even want to hear it from YOU!

On with the ficcie!

Chapter One- Kidnapped

"Itachi Uchiha, I'm entrusting you and Kisame to this mission. Are you up to it?" the Leader of the terrorist group, Akatsuki, said while he remained in the shadows. Itachi nodded once, features unreadable. The Leader smirked, and said, "We have heard word of the existence of a dragoness roaming the countryside, under the disguise of a popular songstress." He said simply, waiting his words to sink in before he continued,

"Deidara, who has been to a number of her concerts, has told us she goes under the name of Lenne. From what we have known of dragons on our world's past, they are extremely dangerous, wield an immense amount of chakra, and are highly intelligent. I want you and Kisame to infiltrate her next concert, and capture her after her performance, using this collar." The Leader tossed something to Itachi, who caught it on reflex. The collar was made of black leather and looked unremarkable. Kisame eyed it, and gave a skeptical snort.

"You think that's going to hold a dragoness back? A simple little collar?" he said, a doubtful smirk on his face.

"Shut up, Kisame." Itachi's baritone voice growled, Sharingan glowing in the half light, "This collar is imbued with a powerful binding jutsu. If this is placed around her neck while she's still her human body, she won't be able to transform." Itachi placed the collar inside the pocket in his Akatsuki cloak. The Leader smiled at his sharpness,

"Exactly, but remember, you will only get one shot. If the dragoness catches on, she will most likely flee, or kill you both. Dragons aren't like humans, they can sense danger from miles away, and they don't obey our laws."

Itachi smirked, "But then again, we don't either." The Akatsuki Leader sighed, a shudder wracking his frame. Then Kisame spoke up, shifting his weight from foot-to-foot in an almost nervous manner, "Why do you desire for us to capture the dragoness?" The Leader chuckled this time, and rested his chin on his hands.

"You don't get it? A dragon on our side, helping in our cause, who wouldn't want that?" he responded, but the older Uchiha brother sensed the whole truth not being told.

"There's another reason." He said simply, no emotion or forcefulness behind his tone. It was merely a statement. A true statement at that. The Leader sighed again, and then,

"Orochimaru is also searching for the dragoness. And if he possesses her body, he will be immortal and more dangerous than ever, since dragons can live forever because their chakra runs think in their blood, but that doesn't mean they can't be slaughtered, as most were. Orochimaru has already sent sound-nin after her to investigate. This is why you need to hurry and bring her back here unharmed by your hand, lest she be even less willing to join us peacefully. I'm I understood?"

"Yes, sir." Kisame saluted, whereas Itachi said but not a word, but turned and walked out, stopping in the doorframe.

"Where is she?" he asked, almost sounding like a demand to the Leader's ears, but he ignored it. There was a rustle of parchment, and then,

"The Village Hidden by Grass, so you have a long ways to travel, you two. How long will it take for you to get there?" There was an edge of anticipation in his voice. Itachi was silent for a few tense moments, then,

"Two days at the most."

Kisame flinched slightly: they were going to have to travel faster than he wished to.

The Leader let out the breath he didn't realize he was holding in, "Good…the dragoness's concert is in three days. Be fully prepared when the time comes. Good luck."

Itachi and Kisame, who had already packed the necessary provisions in packs, grabbed them and on there way to the Village Hidden in the Grass, with the swish of their cloaks.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

(A/N: Damn, its hard making those X's! Anyhoo, I'm just gonna skip the part were they travel, so it the day of Lenne's concert.)

The two S-Class criminals had reached the grassy plain where Lenne's concert was to be held. A stage was set in the middle of the plain, and a few people had already taken their spots on the lush green grass. Avoiding being seen, Itachi leapt into a tree a mere ten feet from the stage, whereas Kisame went to find out information in the nearby village. The minutes ticked by, and more people were taking their seats in the grass. So far, there was at least one hundred people gathering, and that number was increasing by the minuet. Speakers were being set up near Itachi's hiding spot, much to his distaste. His ears were going to be ringing by the end of the night, but he didn't move. He would need to be as close as possible to evaluate their prey, but was his hearing (and possibly his sanity) worth it?

"Oi, we have to sit next to the damn speakers?" Kisame's whining signified his return as he sat in one branch lower than Itachi's.

"Did you find out anything?" Itachi's voice was mostly expressionless, but laced lightly with interest. Kisame nodded,"All I found out was her history as a songstress." He paused before he continued, "Apparently, despite the fact she has only been touring for a month and a half, Lenne has become quite a sensation. Her concerts are the only time anyone ever sees her, tho'" he said offhandedly

"No surprises there, but why would a dragon want to be a songstress?" Itachi mused aloud, the words barely escaping his sculpted lips as he observed his surroundings with his infamous Sharingan. He felt an immediate spike in chakra in the area, somewhere behind the stage…

"She's here…" Itachi hissed, tensing instinctively. Never feeling a dragon's chakra, he was amazed on how wild and untamed it felt, perhaps the most powerful chakra he ever felt, especially from a female.

"Another thing Itachi, she has mastered many types of jutsus, including ones that make her music." Itachi couldn't help but to raise an ebony eyebrow at that piece of information. He had never heard of a music jutsu before, but apparently this dragoness created a whole variety of them just to pursue her passion for music all dragons shared. "But she also knows many battle jutsus, making her one of the best kunoichi in the world."

For the first time that night, Itachi felt a smirk tug at his mouth, all he needed was one shot with his Mangekyou Sharingan, but would that even work? Doubt wormed its way past the iron walls of Itachi's mind, should he risk using it? But at that moment, the crowd on the plains started to cheer enthusiastically as artificial fog clouded the stage, bright lights lighting up to illuminate the area. Itachi felt that once wild chakra meld into focused and usable energy. He also faintly heard hand seals being formed as the unseen songstress was preparing herself for her big entrance. Suddenly, music blasted out of the speakers in painful waves as the songstress's chakra was being channeled into them. Ignoring his throbbing ears, Itachi focused his sights and Sharingan in the figure in artificial mist, and was almost what you could call stunned.

Lenne had the most exotic appearance he had ever seen in a woman: she had long white hair pulled in a braid that reached to her knees, the braid being covered by a red sleeve that went from the base of her head and being long enough just to let the unbraided tassel at the end to peek out. Her unbraided hair fanned out slightly, and you won't even notice she had a braid if you looked closely enough. Her shirt was a cobalt blue top whose straps tied around her back of her neck, being almost bikini like, but the fabric showed only a considerable amount of midriff. The edges of her top covering her ample cleavage had ruffles of white the same material. Lenne's upper arms had a tube of fabric encasing them the same color as her top, the elastic holding in place at the ends being white. Crisscrossing her upper arms until about five inches from her shoulder were black leather straps. She was also wearing black shorts that were at least eleven inches from her knee, but accessorizing her hip were ruffles of silvery blue fabric that reached a little above her knee. Completing her look was a pair of light tan boots that covered her muscled calf, and the tops of the boots, half circles were cut to make them seem out of the ordinary.

Kisame saw the look on Itachi's face, being slight as it was, it was enough to shatter his poker face. But not possessing the Sharingan, he had no idea what could his sudden change. He was about to ask what when Lenne stepped out of hiding, the crowd going wild at her appearance. Kisame also found himself spellbound, albeit longer as his stoic partner.

"Good Lord…her eyes…"he said in a hushed whisper. Itachi also noticed, if there was any doubt about Lenne being a dragoness (as if her chakra didn't practically scream it), that all faded away. Not even Itachi's Sharingan could see her eyes from her position in the fog, but now that she was out in the open and less than 15 feet away, he could now see her eyes practically glowed and unnatural bright golden amber, and slight black slits for pupils, unnoticed unless you looked hard. Lenne smiled, and brought the microphone to her face, and started to sing in a voice more captivating and melodious than Itachi, or even Kisame ever heard in their lives.

(A/N-Sry to interrupt, but I don't think I'm gonna add lyrics now, maybe later if she performs again. Back to the ficcie!)

It was a song of love and passion, one that was unfamiliar to the Akatsuki member's ears. Lenne's voice held an entrancing tone only a dragon had. _Is that what makes her so popular?_ Itachi mused as he watched her move in tune to the beat, voice unfaltering. After the song ended, Lenne smiled and spoke into the microphone,

"Thank you all for showing up here tonight, and I'm just as thrilled to be performing for you as you are thrilled for watching me!"

Her hands suddenly formed more hand seals, and a softer tune played from the speakers.

"This is a song I dedicate to my deceased mother, who died during the dragon wars held years ago." Itachi's eyes widened, for only he and Kisame knew she was not speaking of a human woman. Lenne's eyes filled with tears, but she kept them from spilling as she sang into the mike,

_There's a hero,  
If you look inside your heart,  
You don't have to be afraid of what you are,  
There's an answer,  
If you reach into your soul,  
And the sorrow that you know will melt away.  
_

_  
chorus  
And then a hero comes along,  
With the strength to carry on,  
And you cast your fears aside and you know you can survive,  
So when you feel like hope is gone,  
Look inside you and be strong,  
And you'll finally see the truth that a hero lies in you.  
_

By now, pristine tears had leaked down the songstress's cheeks, trails of liquid diamond that dripped to the floor of the stage while Lenne's continued to sing beautifully.

_  
It's a long road,  
When you face the world alone,  
No one reaches out a hand for you to hold,  
You can find love,  
If you search within yourself,  
And the emptiness you felt will disappear.  
_

_  
chorus  
_

_  
Lord knows,  
Dreams are hard to follow,  
But don't let anyone tear them away,  
Hold on,  
There will be tomorrow,  
In time you'll find the way._

chorus  


Itachi found his vision starting to blur, he felt his cheeks and found them to be wet, much to his shock. He had not wept in the longest time, not even when he murdered his clan.

_  
That a hero lies in...you  
Ooohh that a hero lies in...you_

As the final note died away, Lenne turned her face to the sky, tears still flowing freely, amber eyes looking sadder than when she began. Sighing, she once again formed rapid hand seals, almost too quick to follow, but this was a jutsu even Itachi recognized. _Shadow clone jutsu!_ He thought as there was a poof of smoke, and a copy of Lenne stood beside her. The two looked at each other, and made more hand seals, this time to another music jutsu. Contrary to the soft melody that played last time, this one was more rapid, and the reason for the shadow clone was that it was a duet. The real Lenne sang the main lyrics, whereas the clone highlighted the song with her singing. Itachi found himself captivated by the music, and he was impressed with Lenne's use of jutsus. Despite his cold demeanor, he rather liked her music, the way her hips moved to the beat…_NO! Focus on the mission! You don't see Kisame gawking at her!_ Itachi told himself forcefully, but a glance down at Kisame told him he wasn't the only one under Lenne's spell. His black eyes were unfocused, jaw dropped, and his head was bobbing to the beat. Itachi delivered the spelled bound shark-man a swift kick to the head, returning him to reality.

"Ouch! What was that for?" Kisame groused, rubbing the spot where he was kicked, voice barely able to be heard over the music.

"Focus on the mission!" Itachi snarled, returning his attention back on the stage, where the two songstresses were dancing to the solo, each one doing different moves but to the same beat. _Such a great degree of control, chakra as wild as an untamed stallion…_he observed, before shaking his head to rid his ears of the music, but to no avail. It sent fire racing in his ice cold veins, making him feel emotions he tried to shut away in his heart, now being unearthed by forceful persuasion by Lenne's songs. By now, the duet had ended and the clone waved 'bye' before disappearing with a poof. Now, four guys appeared in a spread formation, Lenne being in the middle of them, as they danced to a techno like beat, almost too perfect. Itachi was impatient to for the concert to end, yet another small part of him wanted for it to go as long as her voice could hold out.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

"Thank you! You've been such a great audience!" Lenne said into the microphone, fireworks going off as she prepared to depart. With a poof of smoke, the songstress was gone. Itachi jerked to alertness, as he gave in to the music's spell long ago. He cursed his carelessness as her sensed Lenne's chakra fleeing into the forest.

"Come on Kisame!" Itachi leapt off his branch, cramped muscles screaming in protest to his sudden movement. Kisame gave a longing look to the fireworks, "But I wanna see the fireworks…" but his whim went unheard as Itachi raced after the dragoness, silent as a shadow.

Lenne ran swiftly to the forest after her Transportation jutsu got her off the stage, where she felt most at home. Her booted feet carried her to the tree line in record time, but before she decided to go any farther, she turned one last time to look at the fireworks, hand resting on one of the oaks. Her sleeved braid swayed slightly as a light skin tingling breeze teased her white locks, but the shift in the wind was all that was needed to alert her to the danger she was in. Lenne's nose twitched as the scent of five men pervaded her nostrils, and a second later, she heard something wiz in her direction. Turning around rapidly, she caught a kunai between her index and middle finger, an inch from her face. Without skipping a beat, she threw the kunai in the direction from whence it came from the shadows of the trees. Much to her satisfaction, Lenne heard a gurgled yell, and with a rather sickening thud, as a sound-nin crashed to the ground, the returned kunai having sliced cleanly into his jugular.

"Show yourself, scum." She hissed, amber eyes glowing unnaturally. There was a chuckle, and the remaining ninja dropped out of the trees, two behind her and two in front, all bearing the same symbol on there headband, a simple note from which all music is derived from. Lenne's eyes narrowed in disgust, how such humans dare bear the symbol of all melody without honor! She suppressed her rage, knowing full well while the sound-nins meant harm, she wasn't about to show them her true form.

"What do you want?" she hissed dangerously, tensed for battle. The sound-nins chuckled, causing the hairs on the back of Lenne's neck to prickle in distaste.

"Lord Orochimaru wishes for you to come to him…none may withstand our lord and live…" the leader of the squad responded, pulling a shuriken from his satchel at his waist. Lenne crossed her arms and rolled her eyes, for she knew of the legendary Sannin. She heard tales and rumors about his "research" that made her sensitive ears bleed with disgust.

"So…will you come peacefully…dragoness…?" the leader readied his shuriken. Lenne, however, widened her eyes in shock. _How do they know?_ She panicked within her mind, but her shock and hesitation of their knowledge of her most guarded secret, caused her to freeze with uncertainly. Hardening her features, she sprung into the branch of a nearby tree just as the shuriken was released from its owner's fingertips. Her only escape was to flee into the forest, jumping from branch to branch.

"After her!" and the sound-nin followed, hot on her trail.

_Damn!_ Lenne thought as her legs carried her far away from her pursuers as she concentrated on her chakra to her legs. There wasn't enough room in the forest for her to comfortably transform, and she didn't feel like taking lives right now. Landing on the branch on a very large oak, she wiped the sweat off her face, and looked behind her, face peeking around the oak as her heavy breathing filled the air. Were it not for her superior eyesight when maneuvering in the branches, she might have not escaped from the one called Orochimaru. Thinking it was safe, she relaxed her guard and allowed herself to look forward again, but she froze as her gaze found a pair of red orbs glowing in the darkness less than a foot away. Her heart stopped in her chest as the Sharingan wheels started to spin.

"Who are you!" Lenne spat harshly, legs shaking from the effort of running. Taking a deep breath, his scent filled her nose with the smell of sandalwood and pine, a very unusual scent for a man. The stranger did not reply. Instead, his eyes narrowed as he leaned close to Lenne's face. His hot breath tickled her pointed ear as he whispered his name.

"Itachi Uchiha." His long ebony hair fell slightly in Lenne's face, his silky locks rubbing her flushed cheek as he pulled away. He was going to try to go for the nicest way to persuade the dragoness to join them peacefully (not really a word in his vocabulary, ne?)

"I am from the organization Akatsuki." Lenne's eyes narrowed: another group trying to force her to go to their leader? She saw where this was going and smirked, lips revealing larger than normal fangs that glimmered dangerously in the moonlight. And sure enough,

"Our leader wishes to see you." He said plainly, stepping back slightly to give Lenne some breathing room. Her snow white eyebrows met in an angry V shape.

"Why, so another human can use me? I don't think so." She snarled, pupil thinning as she accessed her true self. Itachi, seeing the danger, immediately activated his most powerful technique.

"Mangekyo Sharingan!" he declared as his chakra suppressed Lenne's spirit. Just as he expected, she didn't go down easily. She gave a savage scream of rage as she tried to fight off the immense power of the human who stood before her, smirking as he prevailed. With one last snarl, Lenne succumbed to unconsciousness, body wobbling dangerously as gravity threatened to take her to the ground, similar to the sound-nin she slaughtered minuets ago. Itachi, using his god-speed, grabbed her slim waist before she tumbled to earth. Setting her on the tree branch, back leaning against the trunk, he fished for the collar the Leader had given him. Using a jutsu, he bound it to her slim neck, so only by his hand it would come off. Another purpose for the collar, he noted, was to absorb almost all her chakra, leaving enough for below average stamina. The Mangekyo Sharingan would last until tomorrow night, so until then, he would have to carry Lenne. He had been generous with the Mangekyo Sharingan, allowing Lenne to stay in an abyss of darkness until it wore off. Sighing, he picked up the songstress and unceremoniously tossed her over his shoulder, surprised on how light she really was, and without another thought, sped towards headquarter, leaving Kisame behind to gawk at the display of fireworks that were still continuing.

**Happiness! Phew, that was a long chappie, but I need to say a few things before I go. First off, the lyrics I typed were to Mariah Carey's song 'Hero' (beautiful song, it always makes me cry…sniffle…). Another thing, I have never seen Itachi before in the anime or even manga (pictures though…drools…), so the only thing I'm working with is the way the other authors on this site write about him, so if he's a little OOC, I apologize. Oh, and another thing, I wouldn't write Lenne off as a Mary Sue just yet, as its only the first chapter and you don't about her past or who she really is, so save the complains for that later (if there r any). And maybe if she does seem a bit Mary Sueish, that's on HUMAN STANDARDS! Remember, she is a very young dragoness whose yet to hit full maturity, so in the eyes of her people, she is defiantly flawed and young hearted, but she seems and looks like a 21 year old (age to be told soon…). Don't forget to review, it makes me type faster! And anyone who reviews (throughout the story), I'll add their names in either the beginning or ending author's notes, maybe even reviewer responses… (hint hint, wink wink)Until next time! 3Huggles 3 **

**P.S.- And I like criticism, not FLAMES! All flames will be used to ignite my family's stubborn corn stove (no lie; there are actually stoves that burn died kernels of CORN!) And one more thing, I'm sorry about not being really descriptive, whether it be about the concert or Lenne's clothes. For a view of those, go to google and click on image search. Then type in "yuna songstress", and you will see the outfit (and even hairstyle!) I was attempting to describe, but failed horribly (sweatdrop) Aaak! I kept you too long! Bye Bye!**

**THE UNCHAINED BEAST HATH SPOKEN!**


	2. Fustration

Itachi-(sitting on UB's couch and repeatly throwing a tennis ball on the wall in a bored manner)

Naruto- (playing Mario Kart with Sasuke) I'm winning! Go Yoshi!

Sasuke- (launches a spiny shell, causing Yoshi to crash)

Naruto- No fair! That can't be legal!

Sasuke- (passes Yoshi as Bowser, therefore winning the race) I win, dobe.

Naruto- (throws a fit and storms out of the house) TEME!

Itachi-(still throwing the ball) He'll be back.

UB-……You guys are hopeless…TT

Rock Lee- (jumps through UB's window, holding a rose) Be mine!

UB-(blushes) Aww…thanx Lee…you sure know how to treat a woman.

Naruto- (coming back) UB'S A WOMAN?

UB- (quickly forming hand seals) Fire Jutsu!

Naruto-…(sizzle)…

Rock Lee-Nice fire jutsu!

UB-Yeppers! .v

Itachi-…can we get on with the story? I'm bored…

UB-(grins from ear to ear) Sure! Anything for you, Itachi!

Rock Lee-(grumbles in jealousy)

Chapter Two- Frustration

Lenne's brain slurred slowly to life, the Mangekyo Sharingan slowly relinquishing its hold on her mind and conscience. Creaking open her eyes, she felt as if she had awoken from a deep sleep, everything was blurry, but as things flickered into focus, she saw a pair beady black eyes staring into her amber orbs. Blinking rapidly, she saw the unpleasant sight of Kisame's face, inches from her own. Taking a deep breath, Lenne tried to scream in fright, but Kisame's hand had covered her mouth roughly, cutting off her voice.

"Quiet!" He commanded harshly, hand pushing against her harder. Lenne, not liking being silenced, bit down hard, driving her fangs deep into Sharky's hand, tasting his coppery blood. It was Kisame who howled in pain, immediately letting go. Lenne took her opportunity. Even though her hands were bound behind her back, Lenne performed an impressive leg sweep, causing Kisame to fall to the ground, inches from a blazing fire. She leaned back, and whipped upwards, getting to her feet without the aid of her hands, and without a second thought, pinned Kisame to the ground, with her foot crashing down on his chest with brutal force, causing him to gasp in pain.

"Just who are you, getting in my face like that!" she snarled, putting more force behind her boot. Upon feeling Sharky's ribs start to crack, she smirked evilly,

"Whatsa matter? I thought shark skeletons were made out of cartilage!" She was about to break his ribs when she felt the icy blade of a kunai rest against the part of her throat that wasn't covered by the leather collar.

"That would not be wise, young dragoness…" a voice hissed in her ear, warm breath sending shivers up her spine. _It's him!_ She thought savagely, and without thinking, Lenne knelt into a crouch and tried to leg sweep Itachi, who leapt into the air to avoid her attack. With a flutter of robes, he landed on the other side of the campfire, not taking his Sharingan orbs off Lenne's amber ones. Big mistake. For Lenne, anyways.

"Eat this!" she took a deep breath, accessing the fire within. But before she could release the blistering torch, a strong wave of pain rippled throughout Lenne's body, causing her to scream in pain as she was driven to the ground, sweating as the pain caused her to have a seizure, writhing on the ground as it felt like she was the one on fire. _Damn Sharingan of his! I should have taken my eyes off him!_ She thought as she thrashed wildly, holding in the urge to scream again. _Is this how something feels as my fire consumes something alive?_ Lenne was about to pass out, when the pain was suddenly lifted. Breathing heavily, she struggled to her feet, eyes stubbornly glaring at Itachi, who stared impassively right back.

"I don't think you'll be trying that again." He said, walking around the campfire casually. Lenne, still breathing harder than normal, looked down, determined not to meet his deadly gaze. Itachi stood in front of the defiant dragoness, whose head was still down. Gently, he titled her chin to meet his gaze. Lenne's eyes widened in fright, and she instinctively jerked away, but his grip only hardened slightly. Much to her embarrassment, Lenne felt tears forming at the corners of her eyes, and since her hands were bound behind her back, she couldn't wipe them away. Itachi looked deep into her amber orbs, telling him plainly that she was scared, and when a dragon gets scared…well…Her tears had built up to such a level that when she blinked, they spilled over and left streams of silver running down her face. Itachi sighed slightly, his orders was not to harm the girl, but not only did he harm her, he scared her too. Taking his hand off her chin, he cupped her cheek and wiped her tears away with his thumb. Lenne froze under his gentle touch, her skin tingling under his hand.

"I'm sorry." He stated plainly, removing his hand and returned to the dying campfire. Lenne blinked, "Why are you sorry?" the words had come out in a sudden rush on their own accord. Itachi stopped what he was doing and turned his head from the crouched position on the ground to look at her.

"For using the Mangekyo Sharingan on you in such a manner. You didn't deserve it." Lenne blinked again, more confused than ever, for she could tell this man normally doesn't apologize for anything he did, intentional and non intentional, but she was lost in his eyes, which had lost the Sharingan and was replaced by a deep onyx color. Lenne couldn't avert her gaze, "I'm…sorry too…for trying to burn you into a crisp…" she almost laughed at her confession, and she thought she saw a slight smirk on his face before the flames from the fire completely died.

"Kuso!" Itachi swore as the forest was swamped in darkness. Lenne's vision was clear, but Itachi was merely human, and without his Sharingan, was practically useless in the dark. She rolled her eyes as she knelt next her captor.

"Here, lemme help…" she looked into his now Sharingan eyes for permission. He looked at her suspiciously before nodding. He turned her attention to the red embers, and breathed deeply, the fire in her lungs burning to be released. Blowing outward, bright red flames rushed past her sculpted lips, igniting with the logs Itachi had put on in a few minutes earlier. Itachi, not expecting the flames to be as hot as they were, was practically blown backward from the intense wave of heat. Lenne continued to blow until she was sure the logs were lit. Done, she looked for the Sharingan master, who, to Lenne's surprise, was on his back and moving away from the bright red campfire. She cocked an eyebrow at his expense.

"What? Too hot for ya?" she asked, a smile playing on her lips. Itachi shot her a death glare, and sat on a fallen log with as much dignity as he could muster. Even from his position four feet away, the fire was still scorching. But much to his annoyance, Lenne started to giggle, almost maliciously.

"Serves you right for kidnapping me!" she declared, now starting to laugh harder than before, so hard in fact, she fell forward, right into the flames! Itachi, adrenaline shooting through him, and instinctively leapt to his feet and grabbed her waist, to pull her out. Still standing, he turned her around and checked her face, but to his surprise, Lenne's face had not a single burn on it, only ash, and a lot of it. Lenne looked at him funny.

"What was that for…and what are you staring at?" she thrust her hip to the side, eyes glaring at him. But then something completely unexpected happened. Itachi started to laugh, not just chuckle. I mean full throat, clutching his stomach laughing. So hard in fact, Kisame immediately awoke and stared at his partner in utter shock.

"What did you do to make-!" Kisame started, but when he caught sight of Lenne's face, which was completely covered in black soot, amber eyes staring out of an "ashen" face, he too started to laugh, but with the damage Lenne did to his ribs earlier, started to cough. She stood, completely offended, as Itachi's laughter subsided to a fit of chuckles, a true smile on his face for the first time in years. He wiped the tears off the corners of his eyes, another first time in many years. Lenne huffed, and stalked off, but Itachi was too quick for her, and she bumped into his solid chest, emotionless mask back on his face.

"Where do you think you are going?" he asked, his deep voice growling, demeanor completely changed. Lenne took a few steps backward, responding with a loud growl of her own, buthis eye merely twitched.

"I was just going to wash my face off. I hear a stream close by." She said, not moving. Itachi thought about it, then.

"Fine. But I shall accompany you, dragoness." And with that, side stepped to let her pass. Lenne walked by, glaring at him as she passed. Itachi turned to follow, eyeing Lenne's movements so he could prevent any form of escape. As they got farther away from camp, the light from the fire faded, and even with the Sharingan on his side, felt like he was blundering in the intense darkness, his foot catching on tree roots from time to time, but soon, he too, heard the bubbling of water from a stream.

Sighing, Lenne fell on her knees and tried to cup water in her hands, but being bound behind her back, found that quite difficult. Her arms were starting to cramp, but neither were aware that the thin rough rope had cut into her wrists, causing her blood to drip. Lenne nervously looked at Itachi, and he looked back impassively, aware of the situation, but enjoying her frustration. Finally,

"Could you _please_ untie me? Not only can I not wash my face off, this rope is too rough." There was an irritated edge to her voice as Itachi weighted his options. The collar around her neck prevented her from transforming, and it absorbed most of her chakra, so even if she tried to escape, he could easily catch her. Pulling a kunai from his robe, he knelt down and tried to cut her bonds, but they had cut in so deep, being the thin rope, and he couldn't simply cut them. He cursed Kisame's bad tying job, which was his responsibility while Itachi scouted the area, fearing she would wake before he returned.

"Well?" she was getting impatient. Itachi sight, knowing she was going to be pissed.

"Kisame, that idiot back there in the clearing, tied your bonds tight enough that it cut into your flesh, possibly down to the bone." He waited for her reaction, some cursing, maybe some blowing-off-steam fire breathing, but Lenne just sighed in irritation,

"Do what you must. I'm used to pain." She said in monotone, eyes listless and dull. Itachi nodded, and said, "Lie flat, this is going to hurt. I don't care if you scream." Lenne leaned forward, realizing without her hands, she was going to fall flat on her face, but a strong hand caught her and lowered her gently to the ground, head turned to the side, cheek against the dirt, a strong smell of soil in her nose. Itachi raised his blade, keen edge glistening in the moonlight. Using his thumb to peel back the cut flesh, he inserted the tip of the blade just enough to saw at the offending bonds ever so slightly. He glanced at Lenne's face, which was as impassive as his. Luckily for her, the rope only dug into the top of her wrists, not cutting through her arteries, but he didn't want to risk cutting them, so he had to focus on the embedded part. Butthat was thepart that did dig in down to the bone. Wincing slightly, he cut them loose and pulled delicately, freeing the rope, and saving her hands. Lenne, sensing he was done, pushed herself up and observed her wrists with distaste, blood now started to trickle down her arm in a dark red line. She touched the tender flesh slightly, wrinkling her nose at the infection that had started to develop.

"Ugh, I'm gonna skin that fish…" she grumbled, lowering her still dirty face to the river, washing it clean and drinking at the same time. She also let the icy water numb her cuts, her blood turning the creek red with the profuse bleeding now that the rope was gone. She felt a warm hand grip her upper arm, pulling the dragoness to her feet.

"I'll heal you when we get to camp." Itachi said, ushering her forward back through the trees. Lenne walked slowly, stepping delicately through the improvised path. Itachi was so close her could feel his warm breath tickle her neck whenever he exhaled. Upon reaching camp, they found Kisame poking at the fire with a long stick he had found. He looked up and gasped when he saw Lenne's arms unbound and by her sides.

"You cut her free!" he yelled, jumping up from his crouched position by the fire. Lenne calmly walked up to the stricken shark man, and when she was less than a foot away, looked him in the eye. And she struck him so fast and hard, one second he was staring death in the face, the next keeled over on the ground, gasping for air as his dinner came back up to visit.

"_That_ was for tying my wrists too tight! _This_ is for scaring the s$# outta me!" and with a savage snarl, cracked him so hard on the head, his world went black immediately. She stood, fuming above him, sleeved braid swishing as she abruptly turned around, only yet again to bump into a solid object. Lenne jumped backward and mumbled apologies, until Itachi took her gently by the hand, and pulled her down as he kneeled down to the ground.

"I'm just going to heal your injuries by idiot partner caused you." Lenne swallowed and nodded for him to continue. Itachi accessed his chakra, his hand glowing a deep blue aura (A/N-Is that the color? Forgive my ignorance…but it matches his eyes w/o the Sharingan...)

Lenne witnessed her cuts being healed before her eyes, flesh knitting itself back together as Itachi's chakra healed the deep cuts until they were nothing but faint scars. Itachi removed his hands from hers to allow Lenne to admire his handiwork. She lightly traced a finger over the faint scars, a smile forming on her lips.

"Thank you…but from using that…Sharingan technique, your vision isn't up to scratch." She stated. Itachi blinked, and deactivated his Sharingan, and to his shock, his vision was blurry, as if he was looking through thick wavy glass. It gave him a headache as he shook his head trying to rid himself of the blurriness. He tried looking at Lenne, but all he saw was a fuzzy outline.

"Do you want me to heal you?"

That simple question caused immediate suspicion in Itachi's calculating mind. He was vulnerable, and she was fully aware of it, even pointing it out to him. What was that dragoness planning?

"Why?" his voice was low, almost a growl. "I abducted you. Why would you want to heal me?" he said, averting his gaze. Lenne sighed; the Sharingan master was a stubborn one. He than felt her slender fingers pull his chin to look at her, and if he could see, he would see a hurt look in her golden amber orbs.

"Yes, you did abduct me, but you are following orders from your leader, an honorable thing to do. It's in my nature to heal those who need it, enemy or friend. I am not a bloodthirsty monster, but…" Lenne bit her lower lip, not sure whether to continue.

"It is how your kind is perceived. You fear to be hated by humans for who you are." Itachi hit the nail on the head, as usual. Lenne's eyes widened, slit pupils thinning.

"Yes…I don't kill for pleasure, unlike dragons from the past…I feel as if I have the weight of the world on my shoulders. I am the last of my kind." Tears were starting to form once again, but she blinked them away, determined not to show weakness. The last sentence hit Itachi hard. Lenne was the last of the dragons that graced the Elemental Countries. _She is more alone then anyone in the world._ Lenne swallowed, and focused her remaining chakra into a healing jutsu, doing her best to concentrate on the hand seals. Her fingers started to glow with a red aura as she formed more seals.

"Hold still, and stare straight ahead." She commanded. The Sharingan master hesistated, but he realized she was using the last of her chakra to help, so he listened, onyx eyes staring ahead as Lenne's fingers came into focus as she prepared to heal his eyesight. They were so close; Lenne could feel his eyelashes tickling her fingers as her chakra was absorbed into his eyes. Itachi felt his eyes grow warm as his vision started to clear beyond what he would consider normal vision. Lenne finished, and collapsed on her side, totally spent. Itachi looked around, and he realized she had done. He could see almost as well as the dragoness. _Her chakra…its not…normal…Somehow, she gave me vision nearly equivalent to her own. Was it intentional?_ Itachi just shrugged, and decided to take watch, as Kisame was unable to do so in his current state, but not before putting a blanket over Lenne, who was in a deep sleep. He found it somewhat impressive she had that much chakra to heal him to the extent that she did. But another thought materialized in his mind: if she refused to join Akatsuki, what would become of the songstress? Knowing his leader, he wouldn't let such a prize leave just like that. But in the meantime, he would just have to follow orders and somehow get Lenne to the Akatsuki without harming her in the process, which he and Kisame had both come very close to doing so. His goals were still on getting as strong as possible, training and honing his skills so when his little brother finally wanted to challenge him, he would be ready. These thoughts plagued him as he fell into a light sleep, ready to awaken at the slightest sing of danger.

**Yeah! Second chappie completed, and so far, NO reviews! Oh well, but the first person to review will appear as an Akatsuki member next chappie (and I know Akatsuki only has a few members, but who cares? Just tell me your fav element while ur at it. Any element.) I also apologize for any OOCness on Itachi's part. He's only being nice cause he waz ordered to. And sorry for any other mistakes too…Until next time!**

**THE UNCHAINED BEAST HATH SPOKEN!**


	3. A Close Call

UB- Wow, I can't believe I made it this far with some 100 odd hits…SO WHY DON'T I HAVE SOME 100 ODD REVIEWS! YOU READERS ARE SO LAZY!

Itachi-Whoa, just take it easy, man.

UB- I AM NOT A MAN!

Naruto- I thought she waz!

UB (forming hand seals) Red Dragon jutsu! (transforms into an amber eyed, red scaled dragon) Now, you is gonna DIEEEE!

Itachi- Wow, I just copied that, no prob.

UB- (smacks face with paw) Damn Sharingan!

Naruto-(running away naked)

UB- AHHHH MY EYES…….! THEY'RE BURNING! Oh, someone HELP ME!

Rock Lee- I'll help!

UB-……No thanx…I don't think he's coming back for awhile…my stepdad might arrest him for streaking charges.

Sasuke- I don't even think they would even tell if he's a male…

Everyone- O.o;;; How would you know that…?

Sasuke- (twitches) -.-x Must you say such a repulsive thing?

Itachi- (transforms into a black scaled dragon w/ red eyes, and is even bigger than UB)

UB- (looks up) Hel-lo sexy!

Itachi-…roar…

Lee- Wait, how could you two even fit in UB's room like that?

Itachi&UB- O.o ………….oops……

UB's Mom- NICOLE! HOW MANY TIMES MUST I TELL YOU NOT TO TRANSFORM IN THE HOUSE?

UB- O.O;;……um…a lot…?

Sasuke- Wait, your name is NICOLE?

UB- …--; shaddup…

Itachi- (transforming back cuz he's afraid of UB's mom) That's gonna come in handy (plops on the couch and starts to read one of UB's 17 magazines)

UB- Oh, that's real manly.

Itachi- What? It has my horoscope.

Everyone except Itachi- (anime fall)

UB- The next thing we know, he's gonna start crampin' and then he's gonna want chocolate…then some ice cream…And lastly, talking about FEELINGS! Which YOU DON'T HAVE!

Itachi-(death glare) Just start the chapter already…

UB- Fine! AND I WANT SOME REVIEWS HERE!

Sasuke- Here we go again…

Chapter 3- Close Call

Lenne awoke when dawn spread her fingertips of rose across the horizon. She slowly creaked open her eyes and yawned mightily, fangs glimmering in the early sunrise light. Birds were signing melodies in the tree tops, music of nature. Sitting up, Lenne stretched, spine cracking as she did so. Then a bird flew down and sat atop Lenne's finger, it sensing she wasn't human. Lenne smiled at the simple songbird, brown feathers that sparkled with the morning dew. It cocked its head and looked at her with beady eyes, before flying away. Lenne watched it with regret, wishing she was as free as the little bird. But she was a captive. Of humans, nonetheless. Sighing, she folded the blanket that somehow ended up on her and put it near one of the packs. Brushing the dirt off her outfit, she wondered where her captors were. A looking down, she spotted Kisame a few feet away, mumbling in his sleep and turning over, continuing his slumber. Lenne sighed: even Sharky was freer than her, the only thing she ever treasured aside from her love of music: freedom. The Uchiha genius was nowhere to be found. Lenne lifted her head to the sky, and sampled the scents that were in the air. After only a few seconds, she smelled a scent of sandalwood that could only be _his_. She sighed: he was so predictable.

"Look, I know you're behind me, alright. So just come on out." She said, crossing her arms and looking upwards. At first, she heard nothing, and then a rustling of leaves told her she was correct. Uchiha Itachi leapt from out of a nearby tree, a scowl on his face.

"How could you tell I was there?" he asked, staring at her back. Lenne smirked, "I could smell your scent of course. And besides, with fish-face asleep, I knew you had to be watching me." She scratched at the leather collar binding her throat, "Damn, this thing itches." She growled, sitting down Indian style as she tugged at the collar with one finger, throb mark appearing out of irritation. Kisame grumbled as he started to wake up,

"Dammit, can you be quiet girl? I was trying to sleep…" he groused. Bad timing. Lenne jumped to her feet, and leapt towards Kisame, fangs bared in the blink of an eye.

"Why you-!" she snarled, but at the highest point in her leap, Itachi grabbed on to her long sleeved braid, pulling her to the ground "WAH…!" she yelled as his tug pulled her backward slightly, forcing her to land on all fours. Looking up, she saw Itachi still holding the end of her hair, but looking determinedly ahead. Glaring, she rounded on him, "Whatcha-!"

"Silence!" he hissed, still staring ahead as Lenne clamped her jaw shut, "There's danger nearby." With a blink of an eye, he activated his Sharingan. After a few seconds,

"Orochimaru…" he hissed, letting go of Lenne's hair. Lenne stiffened, and slowly rose to her feet. Kisame unwrapped the cloth from his sword, Samehada, and prepared for battle. Lenne, having no weapons, glanced around nervously as her ears picked up a slight hissing noise.

"Lenne."

Lenne immediately picked her head up to meet Itachi's intense gaze, for he was striding towards her. She gulped, and tried to back away, but his strong hands gripped her shoulders, forcing her to look at him.

"Do you promise not to run away?" he said, a harsh tone in his voice. Lenne, being totally confused, nodded.

"I mean, if I take this collar off, will you come back after the battle, if there is one?" He glanced up quickly, and looked back at Lenne, who was starting to panic with his hurried and desperate behavior. Before she knew what she was doing, she nodded yes again and said, "When a dragon makes a promise, he or she is bound to it for eternity." Itachi nodded, and wasted no time pulling out a kunai. The next thing Lenne knew, she was pulled roughly to his chest, his arm around her waist as his other hand sliced off the collar, causing it to fall at their feet. Lenne felt her strength increase twenty fold as her aura glowed red with the return of all her chakra, which surpassed even Kisame's. But Itachi was still holding her close when a cold laugh pierced the silence. Lenne tried to weakly escape from Itachi's hold, but he held on even tighter as twenty sound-nins surrounded the two humans and dragoness. The cold laugh resonated once again, causing Lenne's elven ears to twitch in disgust and fright. She closed her eyes, scared out of her wits, hearing the tales of Orochimaru's ruthlessness and cruelty.

_Trying to protect her…? How noble…_ the voice was mocking, and laced with humor.

"Show yourself, you cowardly snake!" Kisame yelled, looking this way and right.

Lenne's instincts to flee grew stronger as she tried to escape Itachi's iron heard grip. Perhaps he didn't trust her; despite her promise…Then, Orochimaru appeared from the shadows, a wide smirk on his pale face. Itachi's features hardened and his grip on Lenne grew even tighter, causing her to gasp in pain.

"So predictable…" Orochimaru stepped closer, smirk growing wider as his tongue licked his lips as his yellow eyes traveled up and down Lenne's form, who was starting to shake. _How can one human contain so much evil!_ She thought as she unconsciously snuggled closer to Itachi, the lesser of the two evils at the moment.

"What do you want, Orochimaru?" Itachi growled, glaring at the pale man. Orochimaru chuckled, and shook his head slightly, causing his hair to swish from side to side.

"You don't know? Its _her_ I'm after." He pointed a pale finger at Lenne, who froze as her heart beat wildly.

"No chance, Orochimaru. You want her? You're gonna have to get through us!" Kisame said, readying Samehada. Orochimaru sighed, "I hope we could do this the easy way, but I suppose the hard way is fine too…" Then, as fast as lighting, formed hand seals that would summon their worst nightmare. Itachi, recognizing the jutsu, immediately released Lenne.

"RUN!" he roared, as a giant snake crashed through the undergrowth, stopping behind his master. Lenne's eyes widened and she felt her knees go weak. The snake, named Manda (is that right?), reared it head. Orochimaru glanced at Manda, and nodded once. Faster than you could blink, Manda struck, fangs dripping with poison. Lenne immediately leapt high into the air, jumping over Orochimaru in the process. Not wasting a second, she ran as fast as she could, fleeing into the woody depths of the trees.

"After her Manda!" he ordered. Manda immediately turned around and followed Lenne into the forest. Itachi and Kisame attempted to follow, but the sound-nin choose that moment to attack, forcing them into battle. Orochimaru smirked, and followed his beloved snake, not wanting to miss out in the thrill of the chase.

Lenne focused her chakra to her legs, carrying her farther away from the battle, but not the snake. It was fast, crashing through the trees like a normal snake would part its way through grass. Lenne had a good lead, but she would need a clearing to decently defend herself. She ran until she came to a river winding its way through the forest, but rather than skid to a halt, she pumped her legs even faster, and leaped into the air just as Manda was about the strike the place she was at. Lenne landed on a large boulder, and immediately whirled around to face her pursuers. Orochimaru had caught up somehow, hand trailing on Manda's side.

"I'll give you one more chance…come with me…or die…" he hissed, licking his lips. Lenne's eyes practically shone with hate.

"No chance of either." And with that, her outline started to glow, and before Orochimaru could react, she leapt high into the air. In the highest point of her jump, Lenne curled tightly into a ball, glowing so brightly Orochimaru had to block his eyes. Then, a roar broke the second long silence, resonating for miles.

Lenne was hovering thirty feet from the river, no longer in her human form. Her smooth scales were as white as snow, as were her claws and wings, but her eyes were still as golden amber. Her jaws contained an impressive array of sharp as kunai teeth. Lenne had long thin horns pointing backwards, similar to an Oryx. Her wings spanned an impressive forty feet from wingtip to wingtip, but Lenne being as young as she is, was a bit still out of proportion, her shoulder was only seven feet off the ground, and only thirty feet from the tip of her snout to the tip of her whip like tail. Roaring again, she dove toward Manda, dive-bombing the giant anaconda, causing it to cringe, pulling up from her dive the last second before going into a loop. Orochimaru merely smirked, before forming the hand seals for the transportation jutsu, his last words being: "Have fun…"

_Coward._ Thought Lenne as she landed on the rock, beating her wings ward enough to send sheets of water flying. But her feet barely touched the rock before Manda broadsided her, jaws nearly big enough to almost incase her. She screeched in pain and flailed in its grasp, but that only drove its fangs deeper within her flesh. Manda had almost started to coil around the dragoness when a kunai came out of nowhere and buried itself into its eye. Manda immediately loosened its hold, but didn't let go. Lenne twisted her body, causing the imbedded fang to slash through her underbelly, before becoming free. Manda thrashed in pain, long body sending up sheets of the now bloody water. Lenne allowed herself to collapse to the ground while Manda was still preoccupied. She raised her head weakly when a shadow obstructed her vision, thoughts projected so she could speak,

**_Itachi…?_ **She asked as she struggled to her feet, blood pouring from her wound. Blinking to clear her vision proved her correct as her amber orbs stared into crimson ones.

"Where's Orochimaru?" he asked bluntly. Lenne stood tall, but she lowered her head to look him the eye. **_Gone…He used a transportation jutsu._** Itachi cursed, but didn't have time to do much else as Manda finally focused its attention back on Lenne. Lenne wasted no time: taking advantage of the snake's partial weakness, she quickly cantered to Manda's blind side, and accessed her fire within. Breathing a thick stream of red flame, the snake'shiss of pain was like music to Lenne's ears, but being as large asit was, bowled into Lenne, even through her flamethrower, head butting her within the river's depths.. Large as Manda was, it too, disappeared. Itachi ran to bank, searching frantically with his Sharingan. Only bubbles rose to the cloudy surface, as well as swirls of blood.

"Itachi!" Kisame has managed to finish off the sound-nins, "Where is she!" he asked frantically, shifting a bloody Samehada to a better grip. Itachi merely glared at the river.

SPLASH! Lenne and Manda both burst to the surface, Manda wrapped around Lenne's slender body. She snarled and roared, but Manda only squeezed tighter with each breath.

"HOLY-!" Kisame cursed, jumping back from the bank. Itachi found himself frozen from the utter ferocity from the white dragon as she still struggled in the giant snake's grasp, but she was fighting a loosing battle. Severely weakened, she transformed back into her human form, completely trapped, not even able to perform a jutsu that could save her. She tried to wiggle free vainly, but the pressure Manda was putting on became so great a cry escaped from Lenne's lips as her bones started to bend under the intense pressure. Her cry, however, brought Itachi back from his frozen state. Pulling another kunai from his pouch, he used a transportation jutsu to get closer. He appeared near Manda's head and swiped the kunai across where he guessed was a major artery. Bull's-eye. Blood gushed from the wound, spraying everywhere as the dying Manda flailed hopelessly, caught in the throes of death before coming still, the wound merely trickling blood. Itachi landed were Lenne was still caught in its thick coils. Putting the bloody kunai away, he grabbed her shoulders and pulled, but even in death, Manda still didn't relinquish its hold on the wounded dragoness. Twitching with impatience, he tugged even harder before Lenne started to slide out, inch by inch, until with one final tug, jerked her free. Lenne gasped as she was pulled into Itachi's embrace, breathing heavily as liquid fire pulsed across her abdomen. Lenne clutched her torn stomach, biting her lip so she wouldn't scream.

"Let me see." Itachi commanded as he carried her over to the bank. Lenne reluctantly moved her arm, and nearly fainted from the sight: the gash went from her right shoulder, then going diagonally across her abdomen, becoming shallow near her left hip. Twitching slightly, he saw her internal organs were glistening in the sunlight, peeking out from her folds of her ravaged flesh. Cursing Orochimaru, he put a hand on her stomach and prepared to heal, chakra going to his hands. Lenne gasped in pain, and coughed up blood, staining her chin with crimson. While healing, Itachi was bursting to know, even if he didn't show it,

"Why didn't you run?" Itachi asked, well, more like demanded. Lenne glared at him,

"Because, I made a promise." She said, returning her gaze to the sky, and going unconscious. Itachi sighed, and rinsed his bloody hands in the river, flicking them dry. Kisame watched from a distance, reluctant to get close to his thoroughly pissed off partner, who was deep in thought. The thing that stunned him most was Lenne had kept her promise, despite the chance she had to escape, to leave Manda to perhaps kill them.

_When a dragon makes a promise, he or she is bound to it to all eternity_. Her word reverberated repeatedly in his head as he picked up Lenne bridal style, eyes looking at her now healed wound. Unfortunately, she would have one hell of a scar.

**Oh yeah! Third chappie dun! Sorry about the bad fight scene…….uh…BYE! Next chapter, they reach the Akatsuki HQ! Tune in!**

**THE UNCHAINED BEAST HATH SPOKEN!**


	4. What's Left of Me

UB- (rocking back and forth while sobbing)

Gaara- What's her problem?

Itachi- (eating ice cream from the container) She's sad because she still has no reviews.

UB- DAMN STRAIGHT! WHAT THE HECK'S THE PROBLEM!

Kakashi- Now, now (pats her shoulder) Everything's gonna be ok…

UB- (sniffle)…WHAAAA!

Itachi-(offers ice cream) Want some?

Sasuke-(slaps the back of his head) Baka! She's lactose intolerant!

UB- (grabs container and guzzles it)

Everyone- O.O;;;………..uh………

Gaara- Idiot. You're gonna regret that later.

UB-……later……? How 'bout now? (groans in pain)

Orochimaru- Lets just start the chapter before things get messy…

UB- (barfs) YOU! I didn't invite you!

Lee- UB! You're sick!

UB- Yeah, cuz Oro's here! All I need is my lactaid pill. And I happen to have one right here. (swallows pill) All better now!

Oro- (starts to cry) I'm so hated… (sob)

UB- (extreme guilt) Aww…Oro…I'm SO SORRY! (hugs Oro)

Oro- O.O;; Can't….breathe…(gasp)

Sasuke- Good.

Itachi- (wipes tear from eye) That was… (sniff) beautiful…

Gaara- 9.9 Oh, here we go…Am I the only _sane_ one here?

Naruto- (pops out of UB's clothes wearing a pick dress) No! I'm HERE!

Gaara-…I rest my case…

Chapter Four- What's Left of Me

Lenne, once again, found herself awakening from unconsciousness. She was laying on her side on a cold stone floor in almost complete darkness, save for a few candles on a cobwebbed chandelier. She tried to get up, but her hands were once again bound behind her back. Discovering that, she became more alert, struggling to sit up, but went that didn't work, she laid flat on her back, and like she did her first night of capture, whipped her spine to get to her feet.

"So, you're finally awake." A slightly amused voice spoke from the other side of the room. Lenne whipped around to find a man standing in the shadows, the Akatsuki robe collar obstructing her view of his features. She was the only one in the room, aside from the Leader.

"Who are you?" she hissed, not in the mood to play around. The Leader chuckled, causing the hairs on Lenne's neck to prickle. He almost reminded her of Orochimaru.

"I am the Leader of the Akatsuki, as I'm sure Itachi told you, and I'm so glad you decided to come…" he said smoothly. _Decided?_ Lenne's anger about hit the roof right then. Snarling, she used her chakra to break free of her bonds, bits of rope flying across the room.

"Decided! I was _forced against my will_!" she yelled, clenching her fists in rage. Lenne was about to step forward when someone knocked upon the door.

"Come in." Leader said, cool as a cucumber. The door opened, and light flooded into the room. "Ah, Deidara! Good of you to come!" Lenne looked behind her, and saw a blonde haired man striding in, blue eyes focused on Lenne. His blonde eyebrows shot up in surprise,

"Yo! You're Lenne, the songstress, yeah? I'm a huge fan of yours!" he said excitedly, taking Lenne's pale hand into his, shaking it eagerly. Lenne's eyes about bugged out of her head, such a kind soul in a terrorist organization?

"Er, ah hem." Leader broke in. Deidara immediately stopped shaking Lenne's hand and bowed. "Ah, I'm sorry, yeah." And he left. Leader just grunted, and then got up from his seat from the shadows, a first time in awhile. He walked slowly toward Lenne, whose features hardened as she stepped backwards a step, before becoming decidedly rooted to the spot, tense as a taut bowstring.

Lenne allowed herself to be approached by the Leader, who proceeded to walk around her in a circle. Lenne could feel his eyes tearing her apart, and she brought up her hands to her face, while swinging side to side slightly in a nervous manner. Then she felt icy fingertips touch her bare skin on her exposed midriff. Squeaking, she leapt forward, but his cold hands stopped her short by grabbing onto her waist. He pulled her to his body; Lenne could feel his chest touching her back, still cold hands rubbing up and down her sides, moist breath on her neck as his cold lips kissed her neck. Lenne bit her lower lip, and tears leaked out of her eyes in fright, too scared to use her chakra. She started to shake, and a sob escaped her throat. There was no escape now. She was a captive, and practically helpless. She was suddenly thrust forward, her body making cold contact with the floor, causing stars to dance to in front of her eyes.

"Fool. You don't show weakness in front of me. Act like a proper dragoness." He stated coldly. Lenne felt her fright immediately disappear, only to be replaced by loosely chained rage. Red bled into her amber orbs as she lost herself to her more primitive self. The Leader felt her chakra level spike as she raised herself off the stone floor. The room was just big enough…There was a splintering of wood and a savage roar as Lenne let her draconic instinct take over. She was once again a beast, rather than the beautiful songstress that captured the hearts of thousands with her melodies. Her paw crushed the Leader's desk as she advanced, hissing. Lenne's claws skated on the floor as she advanced, causing sparks to fly up.

"They took the collar off? Fools!" he yelled as Lenne tilted her head back and roared again, this time using all her lungpower to do so. Leader was forced to cover his ears as her ululation echoed off the cave walls. Unlike in the forest, Lenne seemed a lot bigger and rather cramped in the stone room. Her roar also caused the entire HQ to shake slightly. Lenne advanced menacingly, hissing as she crept forward, claws clacking against the stone floor. She was wild and unpredictable in this state, just as her ancestors were.

**_Foolish human!_** Her voice sounded warped, even more so in this form than the other day in the forest. **_Give me one reason why I shouldn't kill you where you stand!_** She snarled, teeth glowing in the half light as she crept even closer.

"Because you are not a bloodthirsty monster."

Lenne immediately stopped in her tracks, pupils thinning with the stir of her returning sanity as the truth reverberated within her mind. The Leader watched as Itachi, walked up, unafraid, towards Lenne's head, looking her in squarely in the eye, which was about as big as his own head. He placed a hand on her bony eye ridge, then trailing down her jaw hinge.

"Is that not what you told me back at the forest? If what you said was true, then cease this rampage and control your anger…Lenne." He let her name slip through his lips as if on their own accord. That is was truly returned her sanity, than the red disappeared as if blood was swirling down a drain, returning her eyes to their previous golden amber state. She hung her regal head in shame, and she shifted from foot to foot, tail twitching.

**_I am sorry…Leader…I gave in to primitive rage when I ought have not done so…Is there any way I can repay you for what could have been a disastrous incident? I'll even…join the Akatsuki under your Leadership, serving you faithfully until the last drop of blood stills my heart…_**

The Leader set his face in a scowl, thinking. He paced the room, weighing his options for several minutes. Itachi started to unconsciously scratch Lenne's eye ridge, full of anxiety, although he didn't show it. Lenne craned her neck in pleasure, causing him to jerk his hand back with a start. She gave him a queer, almost longing look. **_Why did you stop? That felt good…_** Itachi smirked slightly, and then started to scratch again, smirking growing even wider as her neck craned again, heavy head almost leaning into his touch. **_Oh yeah…that's the spot…right there…_** Itachi almost felt a chuckle bubble in his throat, when,

"Very well. You may join Akatsuki, but under one condition." The Leader, who had been watching the two interact in the corner of his eye, had made his decision. Itachi nodded for him to continue. Leader sighed, then,

"She is to be apart of your team, Itachi, and since you seem to have a degree of control over her, she is to listen to your every command. Have I made myself clear?" Lenne nodded, and transformed to her human self, averting her eyes to stare at the floor.

"Good…now as for your Akatsuki attire…all I'll require to wear are the robes over your normal outfit." Lenne raised her head to smirk at the Leader. Focusing her chakra, she quickly formed a long series of hand seals, glancing over Itachi as she did so. When she finished, there was a poof of smoke, and when that cleared, both men's jaws dropped. Lenne was wearing a black tank top that showed off even more midriff then her songstress outfit. Over that, a netted "shirt" was in place. She also wore a pair of black short shorts, along with black knee high boots. Lenne also had fingerless gloves that had metal studs on the knuckles, and her fingernails were even painted purple. Finally, there was another poof, and a customary Akatsuki cloak appeared over her head. Without looking up, she grabbed it and put it on, clasping only the top near her neck so you could still she her outfit. Her hairstyle, however, was the same.

"Well? How do I look?" she asked, winking. Both men regained their composure ubruptly.

"You look…like a proper Akatsuki member…"Itachi said, averting his gaze, pale cheeks turning a very slight shade of pink when he realized her had been staring. Lenne looked at her hand, and on her right middle finger, a ring with the kanji symbol for 'air' and 'fire', the literal symbol for dragon, graced the face. The symbol was colored red.

"Did you make up that jutsu?" the Leader asked, interest peaked. Lenne looked at him, and nodded. "As a dragon, its one of my special abilities." Leader stroked his chin, "Interesting…Anyhow, you two are dismissed. You gave me a lot to think about. Itachi, don't forget to show her the ropes, and that she is your responsibility now." And with that, he turned his back on them, pondering what had just occurred. Itachi turned to leave, beckoning Lenne to follow, who with one last look at the ravaged room, did so without another word.

……**I have nothing to say, except…PLEASE REVIEW PEOPLE! Its not that hard to do!**

**THE UNCHAINED BEAST HATH SPOKEN!**


	5. Moonfire

UB- (sighs as she watches 'young and the restless' with Itachi)

Gaara- Still no reviews?

UB- (sniffle) No…but two ppl put it down on their favorites…that sorta cool…

Sasuke-Who?

UB- (looks at paper) Ah, lets see…malicious1991…and okami genkai…

Lee- And they didn't review?

UB- Naw…but its okay…at least ppl are actually reading Dragonsinger. I mean, the idea of a songstress in Naruto is a little…

Itachi- (joining the convo due to a commercial) Weird?

Gaara- Why a songstress…? And why yet another dragon?

UB-…cause I'm hopeless…

Sasuke- And…?

UB- (sighs) and…obsessed…

Sasuke- (satisfied) That's right.

Kakashi- (randomly poofs in) Ah, sorry I'm late, I-.

Everyone w/o looking up- Got lost on the road of life.

Itachi- (squeals) Ohh! It's back on! UB, be a dear and grab me that chocolate bar on the couch! (watches tv again)

UB- (throb mark) -.-x … (grabs bar and chucks it at Itachi's head)

WHAP!

Itachi- (rubs head delicately) Oww…

UB- QUIT ACTING LIKE A QUEER!

Sasuke- (falls on his knees) Thank you, sweet Lord!

UB- THAT GOES FOR YOU TOO!

Sasuke- O.o; I didn't do anything!

UB- RAWR! (leaps on Sasuke)

Fight cloud ensues. BAM! POW! BOP! (tortured screams of intense pain)

Sasuke- (tries to crawl out, only to be dragged back) ARRGG! Not the face!

Fangirls- NOT SASUKE'S GODLY FACE!

UB- (does her dragon jutsu) DIE IN A HOLE WITH SPIKES AND NEVER RETURN!

UB' Mom- WHAT DID I TELL YOU ABOUT TRANSFORMING IN THE HOUSE?

UB- But mom…obsessed fangirls are in my room…

UB' Mom- Oh…alright…Carry on, dear…

UB- (sick twisted smile) With pleasure…

Gaara- Please, I'm begging you…give this girl some reviews before she kills us all, including me…

Chapter Five- Moonfire

Lenne followed Itachi through the hallowed halls of the Akatsuki headquarters, determinedly staring ahead, focusing her gaze on his back. She had to marvel that his footsteps barely made a sound. After a few minutes of walking, Itachi stopped short in front of a plain black door, one of about ten in a single long hallway.

"This is to be your room. Mine is the one next door." He stated coldly, still looking ahead. Lenne nodded, showing that she understood. Itachi turned around to look at her to properly talk.

"Is there anything in particular you like to eat?" he needed to know so when it came to order dinner. Lenne just smirked, "I prefer living meat, if you get my drift…" Itachi twitched slightly, and berated himself for forgetting she was a carnivore. He turned and opened the door to his room without another word.

"But I will join you at the table…if that's okay…" she offered, worried that she hurt his feelings (ha, fat chance…). He stopped, and sighed, "If you want…I'll find you when its time."

"Where am I not allowed to go?" she asked, nervous of the thought of entering forbidden territory.

"Since you're Akatsuki now, you may go where you please. Just, knock before entering someone else's room." And with that, he shut his door with a click. Lenne sighed in irritation. What an antisocial human…and she was partnered with this guy? _Looks like Sharky is gonna have to find himself a new partner._ She thought to herself as she entered her own room.

The walls were painted black, the floor made of stone. There was one dresser, one bedside table, and a twin sized bed with a black blanket. Sighing, she took her cloak off and hung it on a peg. Sitting down on the bed, she smoothed her hand over the blankets, which was as smooth as satin. She kept rubbing until her hand felt a hard lump under the blankets.

"Huh?" Curious, she peeled the blankets away until her eyes found the offending object. It was a katana, its sheath and handle black like the blankets that covered it. Lenne cocked a snow white eyebrow, and cautiously picked it up. It seemed ordinary, but Lenne sensed it had a hidden power. Her hand hovered over the handle, reluctant to draw. _What if it's dangerous? Fool, it's a weapon, of course it's dangerous…_ As if on its own accord, her hand grasped the handle. It fit perfectly. Swallowing nervously, she slowly unsheathed it, the blade making a reptilian hiss as she drew it. With a musical ting, it had become free of the sheath. Putting that aside, Lenne marveled at the excellent craftsmanship of the katana. Due to the lack of scratches, Lenne guessed it had never been used. Bringing the blade closer, she examined her reflection. In the blades mirror, she saw how much she had changed in a matter of days, aside form her outfit. Once a proud, untamable soul, she was now apart of a human organization, and under the apparent control of a certain Uchiha. _Some degree of control…bah…its called respect…_she thought, wrinkling her nose.

But then her thoughts wandered back to the katana she was still holding. Was she meant to have it? Could she have it? Suddenly, her door burst open, causing Lenne to jump a foot into the air, and drop the eerie katana with a loud clang.

"There she is, yeah! I told you Sasori! It's Lenne, the songstress, yeah!" an excited voice was saying. Lenne recognized it belonged to the blonde man she met earlier, Deidara. He strode into her room, followed by a red haired man. Both stopped short when they laid eyes on the fallen katana.

"Did she draw that?" the one called Sasori asked, his face pale. Lenne shifted nervously when they both started to stare. Finally, she couldn't take it anymore,

"What! It's just a sword." She said, bending over to pick it up. Deidara jumped when she grabbed the handle. "You're…not…human…"Sasori breathed, amazed and frightened at the same time. Lenne looked at him coolly, "Excuse me?"

Deidara cleared his throat. "No, he means you're really not human. Humans can't draw that sword. If they do, they suffer instant death…I thought we got rid of it…" Lenne averted her eyes and sighed,

"Well, if what you're saying is true…than…you're right…I am not human…"

"Then what are you?"

Lenne was about to answer, but Itachi suddenly was at the doorway. He focused his gaze on Deidara, Sasori, Lenne, and then the blade in her hand. A smirk of satisfaction appeared on his face, "So, you found that?" Lenne looked down and nodded, biting her lip. Deidara looked confused, as did Sasori,

"Hey, what's goin' on, yeah?" Deidara demanded to no one in particular. Itachi sighed, and rubbed his temples, he was starting to get a headache. Lenne sensed the his discomfort, and decided to explain,

"Well…he and Sharky were under orders to abduct me-"

"WHAT! Abduct YOU! WHY!" Deidara roared in disbelief, even forgetting to put 'yeah' the end of his sentences. Itachi flinched, and he resisted the urge to kill Deidara on the spot. Lenne glared at the blonde man, "I was getting to that…They were ordered to abduct me because I'm a dragon."

The tension could have been cut with a knife and served with a side of bacon.

"Dr-dra-dragon!" Deidara studdered, feeling faint. Sasori whapped him on the head, causing Lenne to twitch in sympathy.

"Ow…that hurt…!" he whined, rubbing the spot where he had been hit. Sasori was about to retort when a peal of pure laughter broke the silence. Everyone stopped to stare at Lenne, who was laughing, clutching her sides in a fit of mirth.

"You guys are funny!" she managed to say, wiping the tears from her eyes as she regained her composure. Deidara blinked, "Really? You think we're funny, yeah?" he challenged, walking up to Lenne, who cracked a grin while nodding. Deidara smirked, and scooped Lenne up in his arms as he proceeded to tickle her. Lenne squirmed in his arms, laughing even harder. It wasn't the high pitched that left your ears ringing, but a softer one that made you stare and think, "what's go her so riled up?"

"Say uncle, yeah!" Deidara teased, still tickling her ribs. "N- never!" Lenne gasped, and activated some of her dragon powers. Her tail appeared and latched itself on Deidara's leg.

"Hey there, yeah!" Lenne took advantage of his surprise and leapt out of his arms onto the bed, her tail still gripped onto his leg. Sasori and Itachi then watched with amusement as Lenne pulled Deidara upwards, causing him to hang upside down at her mercy.

"Hey, lemme go, yeah!" he yelped, arms swinging like a windmill. Lenne smirked, crouching on the bed on tiptoes. She brought Deidara's face close her own, looking him squarely in the eye.

"Say uncle!" she chirped, enjoying every second of this.

"Fine, uncle, yeah! Now will you lemme go?" Lenne's smirk grew, and Deidara's eyes widened, knowing what was coming next,

"No! I meant-! "

THUD!

Lenne's tail merely loosened its grip, and Deidara went crashing to the floor in a tumbled heap. She giggled and got off the bed, putting her foot on a groaning Deidara, tail swishing. Sasori's brown eyes watched it in amazement, "You really are a dragon…"

"Yep."

Itachi cleared his throat, causing everyone to jump slightly and look at him. His Sharingan eyes were upon the sword, watching it as if he expected it to attack him.

"Since the dragoness is apart of the Akatsuki now…she is now the wielder of the sword known as Moonfire." Deidara, who Lenne helped off the floor, chimed in, "Hey Lenne! Try infusing some of your chakra into the sword!" Sasori cocked an irritated eyebrow, "What's that gonna accomplish?" Deidara shrugged. Lenne glanced at sword lying on her bed, blade illuminated by an unknown source. She grasped the handle, ignoring the sharp intake of breath made by Deidara. Focusing her chakra to her hand, she infused it within the cool steel of the sword. At first nothing happened, the blade started to gain a red aura as it…changed color? Starting from the base of the blade, crimson pigment bled into it, not stopping until it reached the very tip, turning the once cold silver steel iridescent red. Lenne, disturbed by the change, sheathed the sword and buckled it by her side.

"Hey, let's get some dinner, yeah?" and with that, he jogged out of the room, closely followed by a cursing Sasori. Itachi, however, merely sidestepped to let them past, eyes still focused on Lenne, who was pulling on her Akatsuki cloak.

"Ready?"

Lenne nodded, and followed him, not knowing what to expect.

SsSsSsSsSsSsSsSsSsSsSsSsSsSsSsSsSsSsSsSsSsSsSsSsSsSsSsSsSsSsSsSsSsSsSsSsSsSs

"Oi! Quit stealing my sushi, yeah!" Deidara yelled as Kisame tried sneaking his chopsticks over to his plate. He swore violently, "But I finished mine!"

Itachi glared at his former partner, clearing telling him to knock it off or he'd knock _his_ block off. Lenne, who also received a package of sushi, offered to Kisame.

"Here, take mine."

"Lenne! Don't do that, yeah! You need some food too!" Lenne gave a sad smile, "I already ate this week, its ok." She said as Kisame took the offered package gratefully. Deidara, however went wide eyed.

"This WEEK! Are you on some fad diet, yeah?" Lenne opened her mouth to retort when,

"Leave her alone, Deidara. Dragons don't eat meals everyday. And on the days they do eat, they eat a lot." Itachi looked over to Lenne to confirm that he was correct. Lenne blushed, and nodded, "That's right. Although I'm gonna have to hunt soon…maybe in a few days…"she trailed off, looking up with a curious expression on her face.

The rest of the meal continued without incident, and it became time to retire. Deidara put a warm hand on Lenne's shoulder outside her door. She turned around and smiled, "'Night Deidara."

"Good Night Lenne. Have sweet dreams, yeah?" he said, walking to his room. Lenne smiled to herself, and bade goodnight to Itachi, whose door was ajar. And she could have sworn she heard a "Goodnight" from within.

…**I'm not even gonna say it…**

**THE UNCHAINED BEAST HATH SPOKEN! Or didn't she?**


	6. First Mission

UB- YEE HAW!

Lee- What? What? What? Didja win the lottery?

UB- (absolutely beaming) Nope! Even better! I got my FIRST REVIEW!

Lee&Gai- HOORAY! POWER TO THE YOUTH!

Sasuke- Wow.

Gaara- We're saved… (wipes sweat from forehead)

Naruto- (looks up from ramen bowl) Wha' happened?

Sakura- Who's it from?

UB- The Black Inferno Alchemist. So without further ado, lets welcome Kelly!

Kelly- (walks in) Wow, nice pad.

UB- Thanx, everyone, this is Kelly, and she's gonna be in Dragonsinger!

Sasuke- As…?

UB- Your mom.

Sasuke- Say WHAT!

Gaara- She's kidding.

UB- I can't tell you who she is, but you'll find out soon…

Itachi- So Kelly, how does that make you feel?

Everyone- O.O;;…………

Itachi- (throb mark) What!

UB&Kelly- YOU ARE TALKING ABOUT **_FEELINGS_**!

Sasuke- (ponders the meaning of life)

Chapter Six- First Mission

"Wake up, we have a mission."

Lenne, who was in a deep sleep, creaked open one amber eye, only to find two red ones staring at her. She sat up slowly, brain trying to start up. Giving a spine cracking yawn, she got up and put on her Akatsuki cloak, more alert now.

"Where to?"

"Konoha."

Lenne blinked, "Why?"

Itachi hesitated, knowing she wasn't going to like what she was about to hear.

"You are going have to reveal yourself."

Lenne was about to shout when his hand shot out to block her voice,

"The reason being, to let everyone know about the new addition of the Akatsuki, and that dragons still exist, if but only one. You don't have to transform in front of anybody, just…" he didn't know how to put it. Lenne's eyes were downcast, and he deemed it safe to remove his hand. She didn't protest, or even speak at first, then, "Very well. Lets go."

eEeEeEeEeEeEeEeEeEeEeEeEeEeEeEeEeEeEeEeEeEeEeEeEeEeEeEeEeEeEeEeEeEeE

Once outside the Akatsuki hideout, Itachi was about to leap into a tree when he saw Lenne wasn't preparing to do the same. In fact, she wasn't even in her human form anymore. Itachi glared suspiciously at the white beast. She glared right back, **_Well, are you coming on, or not?_** Her voice held a bite of impatience.

"You want me to…ride you?" Itachi was secretly stunned, but his face was still impassive. Lenne closed her eyes and lowered her body to the ground, **_It will faster that way. I know how you hate wasting time…what's the matter? Afraid?_** Itachi let a scowl grace his features, and strode purposely over the young dragoness. Kneeling down, her back was only five feet high. He put a hand on it and felt her muscles ripple under his touch.

"Are you sure about this?" he asked, still uncertain. He really didn't want to end his life so soon. Lenne gave a snort and curled her neck around to look him in the eye.

**_Do you need assistance mounting?_** Itachi flinched at her abusive statement, and allowed himself one final glare, before leaping upwards while swinging her leg over her back. He was sitting on the junction that connected her neck to the rest of her body. Not quite on her neck, but not on her body either. Itachi felt himself go backward slightly as she rose to her feet, pushing up with her front legs first. He leaned forward, but as Lenne made her back legs rise, her movement caused him to go farther forward than he wished, causing his face to hit the back of her neck. He cursed, and he heard Lenne chuckle at his expense.

**_Just hold on tightly. I won't let you fall._** She said, turning her head to wink at him. Her front legs folded as she prepared to leap into the limitless sky. Itachi tensed, as he felt himself go powerfully upward as Lenne sprang into the air, wings opening to their impressive forty foot span. Both of his arms encircled her neck as she pumped her wings to gain altitude, skimming just feet above the treetops. Her smooth scales caused Itachi to slip backward slightly as she pointed her nose upward, rising higher and higher with each wing beat.

It didn't take very long before Lenne nearly reached the clouds, but daring not to go higher due to the thin air pressure. Itachi relaxed somewhat, and allowed himself to enjoy the view as the morning sun rose higher in the sky. Then from inside his mind, he heard Lenne's voice speak to him, **_Let me show you what flying is really like. Relax and don't be afraid…_**Her mind started to tug his from his body. At first, Itachi started to panic and struggle, but then relinquished his control. His vision blurred, then became sharper than ever as he viewed the world from Lenne's eyes, felt her, no…their wings beating as she propelled them closer to Konoha. _Is this what it feels like to fly freely as a dragon?_ He thought before their mind completely fused, becoming one.

They titled into a sharp dive, as if they were a spear thrown from the high. Itachi enjoyed her exhilaration as the wind rushed past their face, having no fear of crashing as they plummeted ever closer to the ground. At the last second, they're wings beat powerfully to check their speed as they started to go upwards again into a loop, finishing it with an inline twist. Itachi started to feel their minds separate as they became two beings once again, and for a second, he was Lenne, and Lenne was him, but then he found himself panting heavily on her back, marveling at the experience.

"That…was…incredible…" he gasped, holding his chest. Lenne chuckled, **_See what you would have missed if you insisted on going on foot?_** Her voice held a smug tone.

"I wasn't about to argue with a dragon, a female nonetheless…"

They reached the village of Konoha about noon. Itachi instructed Lenne to land near the tree line, so they can talk first. Lenne did so, and Itachi slipped off her back, legs trembling from clenching so long. He almost fell, but Lenne caught him with her white paw. **_You might as well stay on._** She suggested as she placed him back on. Itachi grumbled at his weakness but he didn't argue. Instead, he stared at the quaint village that was visible a mile or two away. They were near a stone bridge and Lenne could spy a few teenagers on it, appearing to be talking, or waiting for something.

Itachi sighed: he had not been in the Village Hidden in the Leaves since he murdered his clan. He was lost deep in thought until they saw another person join the teens on the bridge.

**_Those appear to be ninja in training…what are your orders…But I refuse to slaughter anyone meaninglessly._** Itachi smirked. It wouldn't be necessary.

"Just land in that clearing near the bridge."

NnNnNnNnNnNnNnNnNnNnNnNnNnNnNnNnNnNnNnNnNnNnNnNnNnNnNnNnNn

"Kakashi! You're late again! What's your excuse this time!" demanded an irate Naruto, one fist on his hip, the other pointing accusingly at his sliver haired sensei. He sighed and turned a page of Icha Ichi Paradise he was so fond of reading.

"I got lost in the road of life."

That simple statement caused Sakura Hareno and Naruto to anime fall.

"THAT'S ALWAYS YOUR EXCUSE!" they yelled, clearly pissed off. Sasuke just grunted, and than froze suddenly.

"I sense a very large amount of chakra nearby, and it isn't friendly…" he stated, activating his Sharingan. Kakashi looked around, and put his book away, also sensing the chakra. He lifted his headband up to reveal his Sharingan, scanning the area like Sasuke, freezing when he finally saw the source.

"No…way…"

Naruto and Sakura looked around too, trying to see whatever the two Sharingan users were seeing, but stopped when they saw a flash of white on a hill near the forest. Sakura gasped and fell on her butt, having lost control of her knees. Sasuke's eyes blazed with anger as he snarled, "Itachi…" he pulled a kunai out of his satchel, and twirled it in his fingers. Naruto got into a battle stance, but still really to flee if he had to. Kakashi peered closer voice barely above a whisper,

"He's…riding a dragon…"

At that point, Lenne reared, roaring mightily as her claws swiped at the air, wings carrying Itachi and herself to the clearing, gliding over the green grass. Everyone was buffeted by the eddies of her wings as she pumped them to slow down. Landing on the grass, Itachi slipped onto the ground, as cool as a cucumber, as Lenne growled menacingly, tail thrashing in midair. Sakura struggled to her feet, the two nightmares before her seemed unreal, yet there was no denying their existence. Sasuke resisted the urge to throw the kunai, which was shaking in his grip,

"What are you doing here!" he snarled, almost as scary as the dragoness as the curse mark invaded the left side of his face. Itachi only smirked,

"Fulfilling a mission, little brother…which I daresay we did so, correct?" he glanced at Lenne, who nodded her head, growling an affirmative. Sasuke, who was about to release the kunai, was stopped as Kakashi put a hand on his shoulder.

"If I may ask, how did you warp that dragon's mind into serving you, Itachi?" Kakashi asked, grip tightening on Sasuke's shoulder. It was then Lenne who chucked, sounding like two large rock grinding against each other in her throat. **_Not even Itachi can warp a dragon's mind…I choose to serve with him under the banner of the Akatsuki._**

"So you are merely an exotic means to get from one place to another?" Kakashi asked, addressing Lenne directly. Lenne raised her lip to expose her daggerlike teeth. **_Human, I have powers far greater than you could ever imagine…_**

**Dun Dun Dun! Cliffie!**

**THE UNCHAINED BEAST HATH SPOKEN! Barely…**


	7. Confrontation

UB- ARRG! THAT'S _IT!_

Kelly- What?

UB- I'm NEVER taking Naruto out for ice cream AGAIN!

Sasuke- What did he do?

UB-…lets just say he's at the police station for "contamination of the food products"…

Lee- Ewww…don't tell me he…

UB- No, he got arrested the moment he walked through the door…

Oro- Why…?

UB- (sits next to Itachi) Who knows…who cares…

Itachi- (is groaning in pain) Cramp…need…pamprin…

UB- (jumps a mile) HEL-LO! YOU DO NOT NEED PAMPRIN!

Sasuke- (looking freaked out) I think what he means is ibuprofen…

Lee- Or asprin

Oro- (sniggers) asprin…sounds like…

Everyone- WE KNOW!

Gaara-…you are all idiots…

UB- (opens ibuprofen bottle and shoves it down Itachi's throat)

Itachi- ... I feel better…

UB- (sighs) I was hoping I wouldn't have to do this… (pulls a shot out of nowhere)

Itachi- O.O;; WHAT THE HELL IS THAT!

UB- It's a shot full of testosterone (flicks the syringe a few times)

Itachi- No…no…NO! YOU CAN'T MAKE ME!

UB- Megan, hold em' down!

Megan- (cracks knuckles) With pleasure…

TO BE CONTINUED!

Oh, and whenever Lenne speaks as a dragon now, her words will be like this: 'blah'

Chapter 7- Confrontation

Lenne suddenly shot a stream of flame at the four ninja, who leapt out of the way just in time. 'If you can't defeat me, you don't deserve to face Itachi' she challenged. Kakashi narrowed his eyes, and suddenly Sasuke freed himself from Kakashi's grasp, running full tilt towards Lenne.

"SASUKE, NO!" everyone shouted, but there was no stopping the enraged Uchiha. His hands quickly formed seals to perform his signature attack,

"Fire no Jutsu!" he declared as a huge stream of fire shot from his mouth. Lenne just stood calmly, and allowed the flames to engulf her. Itachi only crossed his arms and smirked, amused that his brother could be so stupid. Sasuke was breathing heavier than normal, but his Uchiha smirk on his face was unfailing as well, but that didn't last long when he saw the smoke clear. Lenne was untouched.

'You call that fire? I'll show you fire.' Lenne breathed inward, massive lungs filling with air.

"SASUKE MOVE!" Kakashi shouted, but Sasuke's last attack depleted too much of his chakra. With a roar, Lenne unleashed a barrage of red fireballs, all of them landing randomly, causing explosions wherever they hit. Everyone was forced to dodge the brutal onslaught of what Lenne liked to call "Dragon's Barrage".

There was smoke everywhere, Sakura and Naruto clinging together, coughing the smoke up from their lungs. Lenne smirked, but where was Sasuke?

"Up here."

Lenne whipped upwards, and saw Sasuke high in the sky, blood trickling from his mouth, burns on his face, and preparing to throw a giant shuriken. She quickly reacted by breathing another fireball. BAM!

It was a savage hit, but instead of a burnt body, a carbonized log fell on Lenne's head. 'Ow…' she groaned, shaking her head, but then she felt someone grab her tail. Whipping around, she none other than Sasuke. Growling, Lenne lifted her tail up, but he was clinging like a leech.

'You, annoying human. Get off MY tail!'

Sasuke only glared before doing the only thing that came to mind: biting. And hard. But before he could count to one, Lenne screeched with rage and smashed her tail to the ground, but still he didn't let go. She repeated the process, but Sasuke proceeded to tear apart her scales, ripping them off savagely. Lenne squealed even louder and lashed her tail so hard Sasuke was ripped off and flew through the air, smashing into a tree and splintering it to bits.

"SASUKE!" Sakura screamed, and she turned to look at the dragoness, who was examining her damaged tail. Sakura's fear was replaced by anger, and lots of it.

"You…MONSTER!" she roared, and pulled out all her kunai and shuriken. A second later, Sakura launched them at Lenne, who looked up a few seconds too late. The ones that hit her body glanced off her scales, but Sakura had aimed for the one place not protected by scales: her wings. The weapons ripped through the delicate membrane like a knife through wet paper. Lenne squealed and stumbled backward: one of the kunai hadn't made it all the way through. It was stuck where her wing joint connected with her body, and it was deeply imbedded in the muscle of her left wing. While distracted, Kakashi took his opportunity and using his ninja speed, jumped on the one place she couldn't get him: the top of her head. He clung on to her horns and held on for dear life as Lenne shook her head in an attempt to get rid of him.

'Get off!'

"I don't think so.' Kakashi said darkly, preparing to use one of his most deadly techniques: chakra was starting to collect to his hand as he prepared to use the chidori. Lenne sensed the powerful energy gathering, but she was frozen with fear as Kakashi raised his chakra laden hand to drive it into her head.

"Die."

Lenne cringed and waited for her death, but out of nowhere, a shadow smashed into Kakashi, causing him to fall to the ground, the chidori canceled. Lenne couldn't see the new figure on her head, but she had three guesses.

'Itachi?' she asked, heart stopping from relief as he jumped from her head and landed on her back. Filled with hope and strength, Lenne decided to take revenge on the humans in front of her.

She was about to finish them off, the fire gathering in her throat, when a hand on her neck stopped her. She turned to look at Itachi, who shook his head, "That's enough. Our mission wasn't to destroy the village, just to reveal yourself. Let's go." He said sternly, Sharingan orbs piercing her soul.

Lenne gave one last glare at the ninja on the ground, who tensed for another attack. She gave a snort, 'Bah, you aren't worth my time anyway.' Itachi slid off and examined her left wing, pulling out the imbedded kunai and tossing it aside before mounting again.

"So, that's it?" a voice yelled. All heads turned to find an enraged Naruto clenching his fits. He was knocked out when one of Lenne's fireballs exploded too close. Lenne gave a mighty sigh, and gave a sad look to squad 7 and their sensei. 'I'm afraid so, Kuuybi. But we shall meet again.' And without another word, she sprang into the air, wings beating powerfully as she flew over Konoha and u-turned from whence they came. Kakashi finally relaxed, body feelingah heavy aslead. "That's was close…good thing she had no intent to kill us from the start…"

"Whadoyamean!" Naruto yelled.

Kakashi relaxed, "That dragoness…must be the last…not even my father was graced enough to be in the presence of a dragon…much less fight one…"

Sakura blinked, "But Kakashi-sensei, you heard them, she's serving the Akatsuki! And you were going to kill her…" she trailed off, throwing her pink locks over her shoulder.

Kakashi smiled, although you couldn't see it, "Sakura, I would do anything to protect my students…and although that dragoness really had no intent to kill, you were all still in danger."

"Yeah, but, how did you know she wasn't going to kill us?" Naruto asked, scratching his head.

"Because, she lacked the feral look you see if something, or someone was intending to kill. Those eyes were full of intelligence and understanding, and even so…we wouldn't have wounded her to the extent that we did if she was looking for blood. In fact, I don't think she would have given us a chance to fight back."

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Lenne flew as fast as she could to distance herself and Itachi from Konoha, incase they reported their appearance and ninja sent after them, but Lenne's wing wounds and the darkness forced them to land in a grassy plain. Itachi dared not ask Lenne to make a fire, as they were already exposed out in the open. He said nothing as he healed her wings and tail, cringing as he saw the extent of the damage his brother did to it. _He'll personally pay for that next time we meet…_he promised himself.

Lenne sighed as she raised her now healed wings, stretching them happily. She then proceeded to curl up, looking at Itachi with doleful eyes as he shivered in the cool night air.

Lenne rolled her eyes, and stood up. Itachi watched her with his Sharingan orbs as she walked right behind him and lay down.

'You are tired from healing my wounds. Sleep, I will watch for danger.'

Itachi yawned, and realized she was right. Without arguing, he laid down on the ground as Lenne shared her warm belly.

"You better not tell anyone." He growled before shutting his eyes. Lenne only chuckled, and covered him with her wing. Itachi felt the air immediately loose it's frigidly.

'Good night.' Her words were the last thing he heard before he was secluded in darkness as sleep overtook his weary mind.

HhHhHhHhHhHhHhHhHhHhHhHhHhHhHhHhHhHhHhHhHhHhHhHhHhHhHhHhHh

**I know this chappie sorta stunk and was short and that Itachi is a bit OOC, but that's all gonna change. Prince of Darkness, here he comes!**

**THE UNCHAINED BEAST HATH SPOKEN!**


End file.
